andy

When in Rome…

Carey Anthony

Driving in Italy?
3 messages

From: Logan

Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 9:32 AM

To: Carey

Hey Carey,

Guess what? I’m heading to Italy tomorrow. I’m flying into Rome and was thinking of renting a car. Will you still be around? Any tips on whether I should rent a car or take the train? Hope to hear from you soon! Lo

From: Carey

Sat, Jul 11, 2009 at 1:47 PM

To: Logan

Hey Logan!
You’re not going to believe this, but I left Italy yesterday and I’m in Germany now. I’m so sorry I missed you!! Are you with Maria? If so, tell her Hi.

Regarding driving in Italy, it’s pretty easy on the highways IF YOU DRIVE LIKE ME! The roads in the villages are narrow, but the signs are pretty easy to follow once you get used to them. This kind of sums it up:

People drive fast on the Autostrada. Really, really, fast!
Tailgating seems not only permissible, but encouraged. Even when you’re going fast on the Autostrada. Leaving any discernible gap between the car ahead of you is an invitation for someone to pass.
You need a navigator or two to read the map and watch for directional signs. When you blowing by them at speeds of 100+ kph, you need some extra eyes reading them.
All roads lead to Rome – or so it seemed – as no matter where you are there is a sign pointing you toward Rome.
In rural areas, you’ll find lots of narrow roads, frequently on the side of a mountain, and frequently containing lots of switchbacks. People still drive fast.
When you are driving along the steep side of a mountain, you probably won’t find any guardrails or warning reflectors.
On these narrow winding roads, drivers will pass on a curve. And sometimes that driver is in a large bus or truck.
In the small, picturesque hill towns, the roads are very narrow and rarely go straight. People drive on them, even though there is very little room on either side of the car. We did this once, and in error. The photo shows the street, a term used loosely, that we drove down. Most of the time we parked and walked.
Don’t expect drivers to stop for you in a cross walk. You’re going to need to dash across the street.

The stereotype of aggressive Italian drivers has some roots of truth, but these observations are not meant to be demeaning. We soon found ourselves conforming to many of these driving habits as well.

If you’re staying in one of the larger cities like Rome, Florence, or Milan, you’ll probably have no need for a car. If you want to take a day trip, you can rent one for a day or two. But, if you’re going to explore the beautiful rural areas of the country, like Tuscany or Umbria, you’ll need to have a car.

From: Logan

Thu, Jul 23, 2009 at 1:07 AM

To: Carey

Hey Carey,
I just got back from Italy. Remind me to never take your advice about driving. Easy??? You Italians are CRAZY!!
From now on it’s the train for this Midwestern boy! I’ll send you pictures soon. I’m not as good as you are about posting them. Your trip looked amazing though. Ciao! Lo

Click Above to Play Video
Me, driving in Italy…See, I drove OK, despite holding the camera. What you didn’t see was me navigating through the very narrow one way roads in the village. That definitely took two hands, because the car was a stick shift.

I got to see the kids tonight for the first time in a month when Lisa met me for dinner in Orange County. They’ve grown!! The sunset was gorgeous!

IMG_1000 (2)
Chazz & the boys left Tuesday. The house won’t be empty for long though. David, Rebecca and the 3 kids arrive tomorrow.
It will be a busy weekend at The Hotel Careyfornia! Ciao!

Coyotes, Crocodiles & A Dragon Named Henry

Since I usually go down to the O.C. on Thursdays, Lisa has been watching Chazz and he’s been pretty good. The last two weeks however, she was busy so I had to make alternate arrangements, as I’m usually gone 12 hours. I called a couple of doggie day care places and they were all about the same price, $35-50/day. On a whim, I called a new place on Santa Monica & Highland called, “The D“. It’s like “The W Hotel” but for dogs. I thought it would be ridiculously expensive, as that’s where all the A-List Hollywood celebrities take their dogs. Surprisingly though it was only $35 for 8 hours and $45 for 12 hours. Before Chazz could go though, he had to have a “temperament test”. I felt like I was trying to get him into an elite private school! I coached him before we went in…”No humping Chazz”, “Keep your nose where I can see it”, etc. Needless to say, he passed the temperament test with flying colors. Then the gal at the front desk gave me a tour of the place. It really is like a luxury hotel for dogs. When she told me that every room had a flat screen television (with remote), I didn’t know whether to laugh or ask the obvious question! (Do they watch it?) Then she told me that they play a dog friendly Disney movie in the common area every night at 7:00. They also have a spa, gym (for dogs) and a grooming salon. I kid you not…see for yourself:

Deluxe rooms complete with queen size beds and flat screen TVs for your dog!

So that’s where Chazz went the past two Thursdays, and yes I’ve officially become one of “those” dog owners (and he’s not even MY dog!). I’m not one to gossip, but I will say the names of the owner’s of the dogs that Chazz hob knobbed with the past two weeks, rhyme with Donny Repp and Lennifer Caniston! So fast forward to yesterday when Lisa said she would be happy to have Chazz for the day. She only needed to leave the house for a few minutes to pick up the boys from their last day of school. Since we all know that Chazz doesn’t like to be left alone, she figured he’d be OK in the backyard for 20 minutes with her two dogs. Guess again:

Who knew that Chazz could fit through a doggie door made for a shih tzu? He can…and he destroyed Lisa’s blinds in the process!

Andy reprimanding Chazz

Poor Chazz and his abandonment issues! Needless to say, we’ll be going shopping for new blinds soon. In the meantime, Andy and I took him on a nature hike last night and saw all kinds of imaginary wildlife and made some new friends as this video will attest:

“Coyotes & Crocodiles…Bye blog readers! See you later!”

After we made it to the park, Lisa & Tommy picked us up and we went to dinner. It was a beautiful Southern California evening!

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Oh, and speaking of flat screen TVs, I went on Best Buy’s website the other day and noticed that the new TV I bought 2 weeks ago was on sale for $200 less than what I paid for it. So, I went to Best Buy and demanded my $200 and got it! Time for a Blu-Ray??
Are You Out of Your Vulcan Mind?

That’s what I get for taking an 8 year old to see Star Trek. “Are you out of your Vulcan mind?”, is Tommy’s new catchphrase. The movie was great! We both enjoyed it immensely. I’m down here with the the boys this weekend, while their parents attend the Dave Matthews and Jason Mraz concert in Las Vegas. Originally we were all going to go to Vegas together, but Lisa and Joel haven’t had a weekend alone since before Andy was born. So they’ll drive back tomorrow afternoon and we’ll have a nice Mother’s Day barbecue at Jenn’s. After the movie today, we went to Cole’s Little League game where Tommy proceeded to entertain and shock the crowd with his latest phraseology (not everyone knew he was saying “Vulcan”, and when said quickly it sounds like another word!). Since I know nothing about baseball, I took Andy to the playground and we scouted for rattlesnakes from the safety of the slide. He had his first visit from the tooth fairy last night, as you can surmise from his new toothless smile. It make the way he says “Caaaaweee” even cuter!

This “Trekkie” group had set up a display in the theater lobby. We walked up to the table and they all said, “Hi, we’re geeks!”. They weren’t lying! Tommy’s 8, and he’s had more girlfriends than all of them!

All he wants for Christmas is his two front teeth!

Self portraits

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Good News Bad News

I’m pleased to inform you that the reports of the Easter Bunny’s death, have been greatly exaggerated:

Sorry…my camera is missing about 5 screws (just like the middle of this photo), and light is leaking in! I’m getting it repaired this week!

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Unfortunately though, reports of another hare brained mass breeder’s career death are also premature:

Don’t worry. I’ll keep doing my small part, even though I know it annoys some of you, who wish we could all just get along…like this:
A Boy & His Dog(s)

Andy had a blast with Chazz the other night. And apparently he misses him (and me). Now if I could just lock up that favorite cousin status without Cole always being mentioned in the same breath!

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And lest you think little boys corner the market on cute videos with pets, I present “Eulogy for a Fish”:
So Long Pepsi Ted!

Chicago, IL

- 19°F -7°C

Current: Light Snow
Wind: NE at 6 mph
Humidity: 62%

Mon

16°F

It was 84° F (29° C) here today which is a far cry from the weather back home in the Midwest. My Dad is on his way to Michigan via Chicago, weather permitting, to attend a funeral. Sadly, 2 days ago his twin sister’s boyfriend Ted was plowing several neighbor’s driveways out from a huge winter storm and dropped dead of a heart attack. Ted was a very kind man and treated my aunt so nicely. He worked for the Pepsi company for most of his life. They called him Pepsi Ted. He died doing what he did best, helping other people. He will be missed. Here’s a photo of him from 4 years ago when he visited me in Hollywood. He had never been out of Michigan, and they came the day before the Oscars. We walked the red carpet and they even got to see some celebrities. (Joan Rivers was one of them if I remember correctly, LOL.)

In Memoriam

When Dad gets to the Iron Mountain, he’ll have this to contend with. This is the front of Steve & MaryLou’s house today!!

Our weather on the other hand was so beautiful that Andy and I took a “nature hike”. Here’s a photo Lisa took of us “on the trail” from up above at the house:

That’s me and Andy in the center with the dogs!

Andy, Carey & Roxy

Roxy, Buster, Andy & me on our “nature hike”!

Andy & Mommy

Grandpa @ the grill

Andy & his Great Grandma

Sunset from Dar’s back yard

My Dad may be in the U.P. but I’m eating pasties in 80 degree weather!

My aunt made us a delicious pasty dinner…one of my all time favorite meals!

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And finally, even Democrats can be cool behind the Orange Curtain apparently! I saw this on Jennifer’s Facebook page and it made me laugh out loud:

6 Red Envelopes

Gmail

Carey Anthony

Happy Earth-Ox New Year
1 message

From: Jessie

Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 5:08 PM

To: Carey

Hey Carey!
Happy New Year from Tibet! Today is the Earth-Ox New Year of the 17th Rabjung cycle in the Tibetan Royal Year 2136. We arrived here last week, and this is the first chance I’ve had to write. Internet access is spotty at best. Today we listened to the Dalai Lama give his annual New Year message where he announce that the normal festivities were to be put on hold. He’s calling instead for a commemoration of those killed in brutal crackdowns on demonstrators a year ago today. I haven’t been able to upload any pictures yet, but will soon. Love ya! –Jess

Speaking of Chinese New Year, I’m down here staying at my cousin Darlene’s all week. She had hip replacement surgery on Monday. Last night I had to babysit for Tommy & Andy while Lisa went to the hospital to visit Darlene. I was helping Tommy with his homework, and the following discussion ensued:

Explaining to Tommy why I got six red envelopes this year

I’ve been working 12 hour days all week and it’s going to be like this for another week. I’m glad I got to see the kids a bit last night. We had a good time.

careytommyandy

The Secret Life of Xangans

Tony (generasianx) was nice enough to invite Albert (owbert) and me to a showing of “The Secret Life of Bees” on Sunday night. After the movie, there was a panel discussion with the director, Gina Prince Bythewood, and one of the stars of the movie, Dakota Fanning. (They were also joined by Dr. Barbara Rico, an English professor from Loyola Marymount who discussed some of the central literary & multicultural themes in the movie.) Dakota Fanning, who’s not even 15 yet, blew us all away. She is a remarkably poised young woman, seemingly unaffected by the spotlight and the falseness that permeates this town. Her performance in the movie was riveting. She kept pace with her fellow actresses Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson. Quite frankly, I’m surprised the movie didn’t get more buzz (pun intended). Roger Ebert writes:

There is such a thing as feeling superior to your emotions, but I trust mine. If I sense the beginnings of a teardrop in my eye during a movie, that is evidence more tangible than all the mighty weight of Film Theory. “The immediate experience,” one of the wisest of critics called it. That’s what you have to acknowledge. I watched the movie, abandoned history and plausibility, and just plain fell for it. If it had been a bad movie, it would have been ripe for vivisection. But it is not a bad movie.

I have some video of the panel discussion if anyone’s interested, I’ll post it on YouTube. If you haven’t seen this movie, it’s worth watching. If you don’t like it, I’ll pay you double.

BFF’s!, Carey & Dakota. She reminds me a lot of Jodie Foster

The Three Xangateers: Carey, Albert & Tony

I think Tony wants to cast Dakota in his next movie! Brokeback Bounty II??

14 going on 15…but she acts like she’s in her 20′s

Rev. Kim Dorr, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Dakota Fanning & Dr. Barbara Roche Rico

Outside the church in Bel Air where the movie was screened

The San Fernando Valley on a rainy evening in Bel Air. More pics here…

Before the movie, we celebrated my Uncle’s 81st birthday and my cousin Cody’s 17th birthday. The whole family turned out and a good time was had by all:

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Urban Hipster Living & The WTF Blanket

It’s been a busy week at the Hotel Careyfornia, (bandwidth alert) and it’s going to get busier. Margie flew in Monday from Kentucky and she brought her little dog, Daisy. Since she’s working down in Orange County all month and staying in a hotel, I’m going to be watching Daisy. Tuesday, as already blogged, I hung out with my Iraqi friend Haider. Last night, Lora was nice enough to invite me over for dinner at their new loft downtown, right across from the Staples Center and the Nokia Theater and LA Live. We watched Idol and dished all night. It was a lot of fun. Tonight I brought Pei Wei over to Lisa & Joel’s and visited with the kids for a while. Tomorrow, Claudio & Ryan are coming with Chazz. Sunday is my Uncle’s 81st birthday party, and that evening I’m going to try to catch the screening of The Secret Life of Bees with Tony, as Dakota Fanning is going to be there discussing the movie. Let me know if any of you are going! Have a good weekend!

The view from Frank & Lora’s balcony

Idol buddies!

Pucker up Frank!

This is the city…

LA Live in the background

These were Lora & Frank’s wedding centerpieces. Beautiful!

We had to climb over railings to get back to my car…so urban. LOL

The Grammy’s will be in this complex this weekend

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Last weekend while I was at Michele’s party, Lisa sent a picture to my phone of Cole snuggled up in one of those “blankets with arms” you see advertised on T.V. all the time. They’re called “Snuggies” and they look ridiculous. Then a few days later, I got this picture of Andy in one of them. So tonight when I was there, of course I had to try it:

Ridiculous right? Kind of makes you wanna say, WTF???

“I can’t believe a black man’s president…”

On the way to work this morning I took these photos out of the sun roof driving 70 mph

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I snapped these shots of Daisy tonight. I think she was sleeping and dreaming when she started doing this, then she woke herself up. LOL

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“The ratings for this year’s Academy Awards are expected to be very low because hardly anyone has seen the best-picture nominees. Also not helping — the prospect of seeing Mickey Rourke in high-definition.” — Conan O’Brien
A Post Oprahlyptic World

I had to go to San Diego for a meeting yesterday. Got to see a bunch of old friends & colleagues, and it was a picture perfect day. Parvesh and I had lunch at the Del Coronado, and it was just as gorgeous as when Vivek and I were there last summer. Such a pretty place! Afterwards, I drove up to meet my cousins for dinner.

Boo yah!

Chocolate chip faced Andy

It was a long day, but a good one! Certainly better than any day in an Oprah-less world!